1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to clothes, and, in particular, to a neck collar to be attached to the neck opening of a shirt body and a method of making the neck collar.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typically, a circular neck collar or neck band is attached to the neck opening of a shirt body (e.g., T-shirt, sweat shirt) to help maintain proper shape along the neck line. Currently, only one layer of fabric (e.g., rib knit band) is typically used to form a circular collar for shirts. The preexisting one-ply neck collar such as the rib knit neck band suffer from various disadvantages. For example, the preexisting one-ply neck collar tends to weaken after each wash, decreasing its ability to maintain proper shape along the neck line and prematurely giving the shirt aged appearance. Moreover, because one-ply circular neck collar is relatively thin around its upper edge, this thin peripheral edge of the neck collar can irritate the skin around the neck area of the wearer, causing discomfort.
Thus, there is a particular need for a neck collar that is durable and provide comfort to the wearer. In particular, there is a need for a neck collar with two-ply construction to enhance the comfort and quality of the neck collar.
The present invention is directed to a neck collar and method of making thereof for a two-ply neck collar for attachment to a neck opening of a garment body to help maintain a proper shape along the neck line. The two-ply neck collar may be made of either two separate strips of fabric material or one single and wider strip of fabric material can alternatively be used. The two-ply neck collar of the present invention utilizes a stitched portion residing underneath the upper edge portion of the neck collar to provide additional support to improve its ability to maintain proper shape along the neck line. The construction of the present neck collar is durable and provides comfort to the wearer.
In one embodiment, the two-ply neck collar is constructed of two strips of knitted fabric material. In this embodiment, the two strips of fabric material is sewn together along the top edge portions thereof such that one strip is lying flat against the other strip to form a joined unit. The joined unit is then opened flat to define two side edge portions with the stitched portion disposed extending longitudinally between to the two side edge portions. The joined unit is folded after being opened flat such that the two side edge portions are aligned with the stitched portion facing outward, after which, the two side edge portions are sewn together to form a tubular unit. Finally, the neck collar is formed by turning at least a portion of the tubular unit over the stitched portion.
In another embodiment, the two-ply neck collar is constructed of one strip of fabric material. In this embodiment, the one strip of fabric material is folded longitudinally to form a front section and a back section between a longitudinally extending fold line. Next, the folded strip is stitched along the fold line to form a stitched portion extending along the fold line. The stitched strip is then opened flat to define two side edge portions with the stitched portion disposed extending longitudinally between the two side edge portions. After the stitched strip has been opened flat, it is folded and stitched to affix the two side edge portions thereof together to form a tubular unit such that the stitched portion faces outwardly. The neck collar of the present invention may be formed by turning at least a portion of the tubular unit over the stitched portion.